Thrash metal titans Anthrax destroyed Long Island’s brand new Paramount Theatre in Huntington last night.  The band sounded great, best I have heard them in years, and the new songs from Worship Music sound even even better live.

You can tell that the crowd at the Paramount Theatre was very excited and appreciative to finally have a real metal show on Long Island, and to have such a first-class venue for one (The Crazy Donkey sucked, never dug that hole).  The mosh pit stood up strong during “Caught In A Mosh” and the war dance in “Indians,” at the request of Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian.  It was awesome to see Anthrax play a full set; the Big 4 at Yankee Stadium and last year’s “Big 3” show at Nassau Coliseum were cool, but it is way more satisfying to experience Joey Belladonna’s soaring vocals on 18 songs instead of 9.

Supporting Anthrax were thrash giants Testament and Death Angel.  Chuck Billy of Testament still plays lead mic stand better than anyone and his vocals were clear and brutal.  Lead guitarist Alex Skolnick was dead on as usual.  And my favorite, Gene Hoglan, is such a sick drummer.

Death Angel’s set was very impressive as well.  You have got to check out their new bassist Damien Sisson.  He rips the bass in the style of Cliff Burton.  Sisson is a high energy, head banging maniac.

As far as visiting the Paramount Theatre is concerned, here are some things to consider:

1.  The venue is a great place to see a concert, great sound system and excellent layout.  There is a large general admission floor area, mezzanine seating, and VIP Loge seating (see picture above) on the sides.  I checked all the sections out and you can’t go wrong anywhere.

2.  The employees are really cool and happy to talk to just about anybody (although, one bartender lied/or falsely advertised about half-price drinks until 7:30).

3.  Parking can be a bitch in Huntington Village; there is a parking lot on Elm Street around the corner from the venue that allows for free three-hour parking (I took my chances).  The other option is to park 1.4 miles away at the shady train station and take a free trolley to the venue.  However, that is not a good (sometimes, not safe either) train station to leave your car.  Hopefully, the village builds a parking garage near the venue soon.